The present invention is directed to a branching device or element for branching a light component out of an optical waveguide.
Optical communication systems require branching elements or devices which can couple out a component of light conducted in a light conducting fiber and supply this light to a photo detector. A branching element or device suitable for this purpose is disclosed by K. Kobayashi et al, 1977, Inter. Conf. on Integrated Optics and Optical Fiber Communication, Technical Digest, Papter B11-3. This device was constructed so that a light emerging out of an incoming fiber was directed into a group of parallel beams with a lens system. The group of parallel beams is then directed at a beam divider which splits the beams into parallel sub-groups of beams. Each of the sub-groups of beams is then received by a lens system which focus the sub-group into an outgoing fiber. This device or element is technically elaborate and required precise adjustment during production.